Comics & Graphic Novels

Right State (NOOK Comics with Zoom View)

Name: Right State (NOOK Comics with Zoom View)
Author: Mat Johnson
ISBN: 9781401229443

by Mat Johnson, Andrea Mutti (Illustrator)

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Overview

This race-against-time political thriller follows an ex Special Forces commando who goes undercover with a militia group that's plotting to assassinate the second African-American President of the U.S.

In the week leading up to a major campaign speech, the Secret Service discovers that an extremist militia group is plotting to assassinate America's second African American President. The best chance to advert this crisis is to infiltrate the group using an ex-Special Forces war hero turned conservative media pundit named Ted Akers. While Aker's politics make him a hero to the right-wing fringe and no friend to the current Administration, he takes the assignment and what follows is an adrenaline fueled race against time to stop a President from dying and a country from being ripped apart.

An original graphic novel by Mat Johnson (Incognegro, Dark Rain) and Andrea Mutti(Girl With The Dragon Tattoo).

About the Author, Mat Johnson

Mat Johnson's first novel, Drop, was a B&N Discover Great New Writers selection. His second novel, Hunting in Harlem, won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. Most recently, he wrote the novel Pym (Spiegel & Grau). He has written for a variety of publications, including a stint as a columnist for Time Out New York. Johnson currently teaches at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Johnson is also the author of the Vertigo graphic novels DARK RAIN: A NEW ORLEANS STORY, INCOGNEGRO and JOHN CONSTANTINE, HELLBLAZER: PAPA MIDNIGHT.

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Editorials

Library Journal

The second African American President of the United States is campaigning for reelection while facing threats from an expanding citizen militia movement. In an 11th-hour attempt to suss out a suspected assassination plot, a Muslim FBI agent recruits conservative newscaster and ex–Special Forces commando Ted Akers to infiltrate the movement, Akers being a revered spokesman for veterans with pro-militia sympathies. The hero faces conflicting loyalties from the get-go, and things get worse when his cell phone is trashed and the assassination plot isn’t what he expected. Johnson (Incognegro SC; Dark Rain) delivers a story with admirable twists and dialog; he excels at portraying characters who evoke sympathy (though you wouldn’t trust them with your wallet). His militia members range from certifiable wing nuts ranting about peanuts as biological weapons to “Occupy” types whose livelihood dried up owing to outsourcing. Mutti’s realistic art works, although touches of color wash would have enhanced emotional and visual interest.

Verdict This fine political thriller—at times uncomfortably realistic—will appeal to graphic thriller and mystery fans who savored The Homeland Directive. Recommended for adult collections.—Martha Cornog, Philadelphia(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—In the not too distant future, Ted Akers is an opinionated television personality and political correspondent who is approached for a mission to infiltrate a local militia. Akers isn't a soldier, but he believes in an America that he thinks no longer exists. He sympathizes with the ideals of the Roots of Liberty, the group led by former marine Ezekiel Dutton, but he can't support their actions. When Dutton plans to assassinate someone important in Washington, DC, Akers springs into action to uncover a complicated web of conspiracy and hopefully stop him before anyone gets killed. This graphic novel tries too hard to have witty, intriguing dialogue masquerade as political commentary. The members of the Roots of Liberty all have their reasons for joining the group, but none of them makes much sense beyond a blind, irrational hatred for anyone who is different. Even Akers is a borderline racist who often blurts out hateful anti-Muslin sentiments to Asif, his government handler. While Mutti's black-and-white art helps move the story along, it is unfortunate that the panels stop the immediacy of the inevitable climax. The art is the only thing, though, that helps readers differentiate a diverse cast of characters who may often be confused for one another. Many teens might not make it all the way through this one.—Ryan P. Donovan, New York Public Library